i don't know how i feel about that. is GoT's world actually interesting enough to justify four spin offs? i guess if they developed four and picked the best i'd be down but i'm not all that excited about it.

Yeah, that'd be too much even if there wasn't much on TV. As it is now, I don't see people having that much appetite for any more GoT, let alone 4 more. Particularly if the ending doesn't turn out that great, which, for a series with this much buildup, seems inevitable.

wow four seems a little excessive! I don't like spin offs in general so I have no interest but I am hyped for the last couple seasons of the main show. I just see that as four original ideas scrapped because of advertising checklists, rip in peace.

as for black comedies, "Sideways" and "In Bruges" are pretty good ones that I can think of off the top. "Funny Games" is another one worth mentioning but it's also one of the most fucked up things I've ever seen so I don't blame ya for not wanting to see it.

-edit-

Here's some more recent recs for you guys:

"The Handmaiden" is out on Amazon now for free
"Young & Beautiful" is a great Netflix gem
"Train to Busan" was a pleasant surprise, it's on Netflix now
"Mulholland Dr." is on Netflix and is my personal GOAT

the first one also has some great looking shots and holds up pretty well, def recommend seeing it. I'm going to rewatch it soon so I can get back into the cyberpunk hypetrain mode. idk why they made a sequel but when you have Denis Villeneuve at the helm, you can't go wrong, the man is a genius. (Arrival, Enemy, Incendies, Sicario)

I hope they deliver because that is some next level visuals, he always creates great atmospheres in his filmography. we'll see. I'm just fucking glad there is something I'm looking forward to this year now. kek.

Hung out with my cousin and her bf the other night and they were asking for film recs so thought I'd drop some here, starting with a list I did on fb a little while back followed with some additional recs:

A list of my personal top 20 films from 2010 - present. I will keep it updated as often as I can and plan on extending to 25 at some point. I included links to the trailers for each entry and highly encourage you to check these out. There is a large variety of filmmakers from all over the world that I thought were important contemporary voices in the art form that need to be heard.

Hard to Be a God (German, 2013)
“A fantastical examination of man’s inhumanity to man, and as replete as it is with persistent visceral disgust, it also pulses with intelligence, a mordant compassion, and yes, incredible wit.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zMPyWa2kVs

Lowlife Love (Uchida, 2015)
“Based on many of Uchida's own experiences, the scenes expose some of the realities that those wanting a career in film need to go through, comparing filmmaking to 'falling for a no good slut.'”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSHd9mB1C48

Only God Forgives (Refn, 2013)
“Only God Forgives will, understandably, have people running for the exits, and running for the hills. It is very violent, but Winding Refn's bizarre infernal creation, an entire created world of fear, really is gripping. Every scene, every frame, is executed with pure formal brilliance."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAeVosG4zI

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Ceylan, 2011)
“The body means different things for each of them, and Ceylan's mesmerizing existential drama takes its time establishing the players and bringing their inner lives into focus. It's cinema as autopsy.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jKgHqU1jrs

Whiplash (Chazelle, 2014)
“Although a couple of narrative twists late on threaten to drum us into melodrama, Chazelle never misses a beat and the film builds to a cathartic crescendo.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d_jQycdQGo

Shame (McQueen, 2011)
“Driven by a brilliant, ferocious performance by Michael Fassbender, Shame is a real walk on the wild side, a scorching look at a case of sexual addiction that's as all-encompassing as a craving for drugs."https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24cjqfVv1fs

Frances Ha (Baumbach, 2012)
“The director mixes moods with a playfulness that is both brazen and carefree and yet precisely modulated, yielding results that amplify the specific content of the screenplay. This makes for a film that, however cheap it was to make, incredibly rich to watch.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9YKHRQkf7k

Mommy (Dolan, 2014)
“There are tons of ups and downs and soapish highs and lows, but what stops this from ever becoming a telenovela is the riveting wonder of the performances and the sheer brio of the filmmaking.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LVLCYvqSI

Black Swan (Aronofsky, 2010)
“A full-bore melodrama, told with passionate intensity, gloriously and darkly absurd. It centers on a performance by Natalie Portman that is nothing short of heroic.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jaI1XOB-bs

Drive (Refn, 2013)
“Drive not only met my hopes; it charged way over the speed limit, partly because it's an unapologetically commercial picture that defies all the current trends in mainstream action filmmaking.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBiOF3y1W0Y

Upstream Color (Carruth, 2013)
“You may not be able to figure it out, but that's part of the point of this sensually-directed, sensory-laden experiential (and experimental) piece of art that washes over you like a sonorous bath of beguiling visuals, ambient sounds and corporeal textures.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SilYsr_3vrA

The Neon Demon (Refn, 2016)
“When the film reaches its logical end point, Refn just keeps pushing, and eventually lands on a sequence so jaw-dropping…that all you can do is howl or cheer.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cipOTUO0CmU

Melancholia (von Trier, 2011)
“Von Trier is a burr under the hide for many viewers, and the unconverted won’t be convinced. But it’s an audacious, beautiful, tactful filmmaking and perhaps the perfect match for “The Tree of Life” on a bipolar double pill”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzD0U841LRM

Nocturnal Animals (Ford, 2016)
“Confidently dovetailing three strands that depict present and past reality, as well as a dark fictional detour that functions as a blunt real-life rebuke, the film once again demonstrates that Ford is both an intoxicating sensualist and an accomplished storyteller, with as fine an eye for character detail as he has for color and composition.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H1Ii1LjyFU

American Honey (Arnold, 2016)
“Part dreamy millennial picaresque, part distorted tapestry of Americana and part exquisitely illustrated iTunes musical, “Honey” daringly commits only to the loosest of narratives across its luxurious 162-minute running time. Yet it’s constantly, engrossingly active, spinning and sparking and exploding in cycles like a Fourth of July Catherine wheel.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1SpWZm1PLc

La La Land (Chazelle, 2016)
“For all its postmodern smarts, La La Land has a heart as big as its Cinemascope screen. This is primarily down to the two leads, without their performances it would only be an empty, if impressive, exercise in dizzying technical skill and style.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pdqf4P9MB8

A Separation (Farhadi, 2011)
“Sophisticated and universal yet deeply intimate, A Separation is an exquisitely conceived family drama that has the coiled power of a top-notch thriller.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlMaGZuSlDY

Blue Is the Warmest Color (Kechiche, 2013)
“Blue is the Warmest Color is a masterpiece of human warmth, empathy and generosity, because in a mere three hours, it gives you a whole new life to have lived.”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOiug_u7Wns

Moar: (I'm sure you guys have seen a decent chunk of these already but may be worth a revisit)

2017 has been brutal so far. Baby Driver has been the only film I've liked as a 2107 release but I'll keep y'all posted. looking forward to checking out some of the Cannes hits when they get released out here.

my brother just got started on Handmaiden's Tale and made a similar comment, I might have to check it out.

I don't plan on seeing Dunkirk until its out on redbox but a 70mm IMAX screening would be kind of dope. at this point, I'm basically an arthouse/indie only dude but I won't knock anything until I've seen it. I'm pretty much done with Hollywood right now until they give more talented directors chances and stop meddling with 75% of the production. let them do their jobs. it's all about money, I get it, but look at the classics our parents grew up with. sure there was product placement and producers did get involved but there was wayyyy more trust in the directors and crew than present day and they still made profits.

the only big one I plan on seeing this year is Blade Runner 2049 because I trust the hands that it's in. still really nervous about it but it seems like Villeneuve has complete creative control over it so that's always exciting. this is an example of letting a successful indie director play with a huge budget which I'd love to see more of. I hope it works out since everyone wins in that scenario.

It's creepy. It seems far fetched until you realize that a lot of stuff from history was a lot like it. It reminds me of ISIS or the Taliban or something.

I get the feeling. I don't watch a lot of big movies anymore because they tend not to have solid film making behind them. Solid production values, but only decent acting, mediocre scripts, and little to no vision, with maybe an exception or three each year.

I'm terrified of Blade Runner actually. I think it's going to be a disaster, full of love and callbacks to the original without understanding it, like fan fiction or something. Particularly because the original explicitly tied up every loose end, plot wise and sci fi wise, which means this one will pretty much have to be either completely different, or poorly retread the same ground.

I can't quite explain this thought I'm having, but it's something like, what's great about that film is that it was the product of the culture of its time? And that moment is gone now. I don't think you can *make* a movie like that anymore, no matter how talented the people involved are. And it will fall on deaf ears anyway. There's no appetite for thoughtful reflections on the human condition and dystopian corporate futures.

That cultural moment has passed. It arguably didn't even exist when the original came out. Now, we seem more focused on embracing that future than in being concerned about it.

I dunno, maybe that's pretentious or stupid. But I just don't see where Blade Runner could find its place in 2017, except maybe as lazy 80s nostalgia.

I felt the same way when I first heard it got greenlit, so I can understand where you're coming from. You're not being pretentious or stupid in your response, look at modern cinema. In this reboot, prequel, unnecessary sequel, cinematic universe culture I don't blame you. It's disgusting. You're right, there is no vision or sense of the film feeling alive. Just a copy paste mentality with quips and CGI overload.

Blade Runner 2049 could be a total disaster, I'm not going to deny that. I do have some hope since Villeneuve knows what he's doing behind the camera and he's working with people he's worked with during his indie career along with the likes of Deekins and Zimmer for cinematography and score, that's a perfect storm to me and I consider that a plus since it rarely happens. In interviews they even claimed this is in his vision and no one argued with him about the vision of the film. It's a hard idea to defend unless you've seen all his other work, but you certainty make a fair point on the subject.

That's the problem when they try to revive 30 year old IPs."full of love and callbacks to the original without understanding it, like fan fiction or something."

Blade Runner should have been a standalone and I agree, but imagine if they actually could build on it successfully AND have it be its own story, that would be revolutionary to todays standards. Well, to your comment of "how can you make a movie like that anymore", I just argue check out the foreign scene. They produce very intelligent and abstract views of humanity for very cheap along the lines of Blade Runner. No one watches them though, and that's the problem. I think the cyberpunk fans will embrace it, myself included since BR kind of invented the genre until anime took it over, but I hear ya man. As for the narrative of replicants and modern culture, idk how it will fit in tbh. Villeneuve is quite philosophical in his messages so I'm curious how he will meet our expectations there in this one.

I think he will elevate the idea of riding on nostalgia to tell us a powerful story of what it means to be human in our current culture but I'm not exactly disagreeing with you either. He's a master of tension and morality in his filmography, and I think in a setting like this, it'll either shine or fail. Fingers are crossed.

i saw Dunkirk about a week ago in 70mm. i would highly recommend going to see it in theaters. it's not going to be anywhere close to the same experience on the couch. like 90% of the movie is just anxiety inducing intensity and a lot of that is going to be lost on a tv screen. but yeah i loved it. i haven't seen all of Nolan's work but it's pretty different from his other work. my friend described it as a series of vignettes set to a Hans Zimmer soundtrack and tbh he's not far off. don't mistake it for an action movie, though, because it's not. it's more like a drama/thriller focused on the actual event.